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‘I raise you $600 stimulus checks, but take out the unemployment benefit’: |
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© Getty Images Via The New York Times’s Emily Cochrane, “Jump-starting negotiations with days to spare, the White House on Tuesday offered Democrats a $916 billion pandemic stimulus proposal that would meet their demand to provide some relief to state and local governments and include liability protections for businesses that have been a top priority of Republicans.” https://nyti.ms/37NuK0f That includes: Another round of stimulus checks to Americans, but this time $600. At the expense of: “The plan does not include a proposed revival of $300 weekly enhanced unemployment benefits, though it would extend other federal unemployment programs set to expire in the coming weeks.” Why this development is big: It’s the first time that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has participated in coronavirus relief talks since the Nov. 3 election. Republicans liked the proposal: “House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reportedly told the White House on Tuesday that they would support including $600 stimulus checks in a coronavirus relief package.” https://bit.ly/3gvwWNH Dems have already rejected the plan: “The White House’s new proposal … was ultimately rejected Tuesday by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who said the package was inadequate and obstructive of existing bipartisan talks over a separate compromise.” |
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| HOW CONGRESS IS BARRELING TOWARD A ‘COVID CLIFF’: |
| https://bit.ly/2JPMLCT |
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| KEEP IN MIND — STIMULUS CHECKS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE IN A LATER RELIEF PACKAGE: |
| “Support grew on Tuesday for including a new round of stimulus checks in the COVID-19 relief package being negotiated on Capitol Hill, even as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle indicated that any direct payments are more likely to be part of a follow-up measure next year.” https://bit.ly/3gwM6m4 |
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| MEANWHILE — TRUMP AND THE GOP MAY NOT BE THE BEST OF BUDS RIGHT NOW: |
| Via Politico’s Burgess Everett and Andrew Desiderio, “Republicans plot their first and last Trump rebellion: The annual defense policy bill is where GOP lawmakers draw the line.” https://politi.co/3qIGeuj |
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| It’s Wednesday — we are halfway there! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook. Did someone forward this to you? Want your own copy? Sign up here to receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox daily: http://bit.ly/2kjMNnn |
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| LATEST WITH THE BIDEN TRANSITION | |
Lloyd Austin is in for a ride getting confirmed: |
| Via The Hill’s Rebecca Kheel and Ellen Mitchell, “President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to be Defense secretary, [Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin,] is already facing a significant hurdle to being confirmed: getting a waiver that will allow him to lead the Pentagon.” https://bit.ly/2JMEyzm Why he needs a waiver: To preserve the tradition of having the Pentagon led by a civilian, military members are required to be retired for at least seven years to be considered. Austin has been out of the military for four years, so he would need a waiver to be exempted. Why Congress is hesitant to give him a waiver: Congress just recently gave a waiver to former U.S. Marine commander James Mattis. https://bit.ly/3oDdKAo Keep in mind: “Austin would be the nation’s first Black Defense secretary, a historic milestone that could be hard for Congress to block. But lawmakers in both parties signaled Tuesday the bar will be high to grant Austin a waiver.” |
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| BIDEN EXPLAINS HIS PICK: |
| In The Atlantic, President-elect Biden writes, “Why I Chose Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense.” https://bit.ly/33XslPe The gist: “We need a leader who is tested, and matched to the challenges we face in this moment.” Excerpt: “The fact is, Austin’s many strengths and his intimate knowledge of the Department of Defense and our government are uniquely matched to the challenges and crises we face. He is the person we need in this moment.” |
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Speaking of Cabinet picks with a fun confirmation process ahead: |
| Via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton, “President-elect Joe Biden’s choice of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is running into early opposition from Senate Republicans.” https://bit.ly/3oAojUX The first worry about Becerra: “GOP lawmakers are raising concerns about Becerra’s lack of professional experience in the health care sector, although he did sit on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has oversight of health issues, when he served in the House.” The second worry about Becerra: “Another red flag for Republicans is Becerra’s aggressive resistance to Trump administration policies as the attorney general of California. Becerra participated in nearly 100 lawsuits challenging the Trump administration and was recently dubbed ‘California’s anti-Trump attack dog’ by The New York Times.” |
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| LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS | |
There’s a vaccine supply risk I should mention: |
| Via The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel, “The Trump administration's decision not to purchase additional doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine could prove to be a risky gamble resulting in a delay of an ambitious schedule to vaccinate Americans.” https://bit.ly/3gvXnmu Where we stand: “The administration has a contract in place for 100 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine, enough to vaccinate only 50 million people. In addition, the company's commitments to other countries means that if the U.S. needs more doses, the company would not be able to fulfill them until the summer.” Trump suggested that the White House could force Pfizer to give the U.S. more doses: “If necessary, we’ll invoke the Defense Production Act, but we don’t think it will be necessary,” Trump said yesterday. |
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| THE NUMBERS: |
| Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 15,186,244 U.S. death toll: 286,461 Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y |
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It’s a no from the Supreme Court: |
| Via NPR’s Barbara Sprunt, “The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an effort to overturn the results of the presidential election in Pennsylvania, signaling the high court would not go along with President Trump's unprecedented efforts to win another term despite a decisive defeat in the popular vote and Electoral College.” The full story: https://n.pr/3qJU6EE Op-ed: https://bit.ly/3oC3Y1r |
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This photo stresses me out: |
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© Twitter |
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The sky showed off this morning: |
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© Twitter |
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| The House and Senate are in. President Trump is at the White House. Vice President Pence is visiting Cape Canaveral, Fla., today. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris are in Wilmington, Del. President Trump has no public events scheduled. Today: President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris receive the President's Daily Brief. 11 a.m. EST: Three judicial confirmation votes in the Senate. The Senate’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/371kn9M 9:30 a.m. EST: Vice President Pence left for Cape Canaveral, Fla. 11:45 a.m. EST: Vice President Pence visited with “space professionals of the 45th Space Wing.” 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. EST: First and last votes in the House. The House’s full agenda: https://bit.ly/2K1mVf3 4:55 p.m. EST: Vice President Pence returns to Washington, D.C. |
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| 12:35 p.m. EST: Vice President Pence chairs a National Space Council meeting. Livestream: https://bit.ly/2IupxSb 2:30 p.m. ESTPresident-elect Biden introduces his defense secretary nominee Lloyd Austin. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3n59TvQ |
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| NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...: | |
| Today is National Pastry Day! |
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| And to make you smile, here’s a cute, little, cozy surprise: 
© Twitter Watch: https://bit.ly/33T8qkw |
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